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Forest Heritage Scotland webpages - Bohespics

Date 2009

Event ID 588094

Category Descriptive Accounts

Type Publication Account

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/588094

The website text produced for Bohespics webpages on the Forest Heritage Scotland website (www.forestheritagescotland.com).

Introduction: Land; reward, repayment or rent

Bohespic in Gaelic is 'Both an Easbean' meaning bishop's dwelling. The land was associated with Dunkeld Cathedral and bishops possibly used it as a summer retreat in medieval times.

For centuries, Bohespic was part of the lands of the chiefs of Clan Donnachaidh. In 1451, King James II gave the land to [i]"Roberto Duncansone of Strowane"[/i]. This was a reward for bringing to justice Sir Robert Graham, who led a group of Scots to murder King James I in 1437. In 1513, however, King James V gave the land to John, Earl of Atholl to repay money owed by the current Struan clan chief.

The land included "duabus Bospekke", the two main settlements of Wester and Easter Bohespic. Over time the land was divided into more farms, the last division in 1801 by the caretaker of the Atholl Estate, James Stobie. Why? More rent, of course!

"I have made a neat division of Bohespike in the Hill as well as the arable (land), forming the whole into regular farms and taken offers from the best of the tenants which amount to about £260 - £40 more than double the old rent"

James Stobie in Estate rent records

The other farms or townships were called Tighmore, Gaskan, Tighnacoile, Dalno and Dalriach. Today both the Bohespic named sites have modern houses built on them. With the exception of Dalriach, located by the River Tummel, the rest are hidden within the national forest estate.

People Story: Dealing with the Neighbours

The rent records for the Atholl Estate provide a picture of the relationships between landlord, tenants and their neighbours.

In 1802, Charles Gow rented Tighmore for £25 a year. In 1816, his widow passed the running of the farm to Duncan and John Robertson. The records show that the brothers made complaints because the two sub-tenants, Duncan McDonald and James Robertson, refused to "flit" to let the brothers move in.

The caretaker of the Atholl Estate recorded other squabbles. It was often difficult to know who was in the right or telling the truth.

Gascan and Tighnacoile tenants shared common pasture land for their animals to graze. Alex and Donald Robertson of Gascan complained that their neighbours turned dogs on their animals, while James Wilson of Tighnacoile claimed that their animals were on his land and that the Gascan people had driven his family off the pasture "by stoning them nearly to death".

The views of the estate were also represented in the records, through comments about the characters of the tenants , for example;

William Lamont Tighmore (1822) – middling good tenant only

Duncan Stewart of Tighnacoile(1822) – rather an industrious tenant

John Robertson of Dalno (1808) – the greatest knave in the country

People and Organisations

References